What’s a zunzún?

Meet Suny, our logo for Zunzun Education Services. She is a zunzún, the world’s smallest bird.

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a threatened species unique to Cuba where it is called zunzún or zunzuncito. Weighing between 1.6 and 1.8 grams (less than a dime), it is 5 cm (2 in) from beak to tail. It’s the smallest warm-blooded vertebrate, and lays the tiniest bird egg. The female is slightly larger than the male. They are so petite they are sometimes mistaken for bumblebees.

When flying its wings flap 80 times per second, and when mating, they beat up to 200 times a second! Its heart rate is the second fastest of all animals. Zunzúns also have the fewest feathers any bird: about one-thousand.

It is swift and can fly up, down, forward and backwards, and hover. They can’t walk and only use their feet for perching.

Their daytime body temperature is 40°C (104°F), the highest of all birds. At night, it drops down to 19°C (66°F) to conserve energy. Zunzúns eat half their weight in food and drink eight times their weight in water daily. Its diet consists mainly of nectar and the occasional insect.

We fell in love with this darling bird and it became our logo. Its nickname is Suny.

The Cuban bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. Click photo to enlarge.

It extracts nectar by moving its tongue rapidly in and out of flowers – up to 13 times per second. In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen on its bill and head. When flying from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen, playing an important role in plant reproduction. In the space of a day the bee hummingbird will visit 1,500 flowers.

Using bits of cobwebs, bark, and lichen, the female builds a cup-shaped nest 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. She lines it with soft plant fibers. She lays just two eggs no bigger than peas. She alone incubates the eggs and raises the young. Chicks hatch between May and June.

Hotel star rankings are assigned based upon the number of amenities and services offered. This designation system is used in the Americas. In Cuba, hotels are generally older and less well maintained than in the United States. So, for example, a five star hotel in Cuba, while having the same number of amenities and services, will not appear or feel like a similarly appointed facility in the States.

Comparing star ratings in Cuba to those in the United States

Five Stars. Facilities with the best accommodations available in Cuba with a full range amenities and services. Equivalent to four star in the States. Few are avaliable and they are expensive.

Four Stars. Good facilities offering quality accommodations with many amenities and services. Equivalent to a three-star hotel in America.

Three Stars. Medium class facilities with comfortable rooms, fewer of amenities and services. Good if on a budget. Comparable to modest three star in the North.

Two Stars. Modest accommodations with limited amenities and services. Can be uncomfortable. Think roadside motel.

One Star. Basic accommodations offering few amenities and services – similar to a hostel for youth and backpackers.